Man goes door-to-door to get neighbors out during DeLand apartment fire

As flames ripped through a building in the Brandywine Apartments Wednesday morning, one resident went door-to-door warning his neighbors.  

“He saved a lot of lives.  He’s the hero,” Calvin Chisholm said of his neighbor, 22-year-old Zach Morrison.

Morrison told The News Station he was headed to bed around 1:30 a.m. when he smelled smoke and looked over to see a wall on fire.  

He says he woke his mom, then ran to each apartment in the building as the flames grew.

 “Started knocking on the doors telling everyone, ‘Hey get out there’s a fire.’ Within minutes the whole roof was in flames,” Morrison said.  

A Volusia County Assistant Fire Chief said the flames were through the roof of the building by the time crews arrived, gutting two units.

The fire was contained, but it’s unclear whether or not residents of will be able to return to the undamaged apartments.

On one side of the building people were able to go back inside to gather things, but on Morrison’s side not much can be salvaged.    

 “There’s so many different emotions I’ve gone through it’s like we lost everything in the fire all they pulled out of the fire were my truck keys,” he said.

“I wouldn’t call myself a hero.  I would just call myself a good Samaritan.  It’s what anybody would do if there was a fire.”

In all, 10 families had to evacuate, according to the Red Cross.